Friday, 10 January 2014

Dylan, Stills, Morrison & Young

Time is a precious commodity and I confess I don’t listen to
many new artists these days. There are
still some late seventies Joni Mitchell records I have never fully absorbed and
anyway, some of the up-and-coming acts I might be tempted to explore (Strypes
and The 45s notwithstanding) tend to sound like something I've heard before, ages
ago.

So, like many, I am re-buying the past. Again.

A Christmas indulgence was a batch of reissues from classic
artists who were at their creative peak over 40 years ago, and each package
came with a promotional sticker on the shrink wrap reminding prospective buyers
how ‘important’ the recordings are, as if we didn't know. Is there anyone else
out there who peels these stickers off the cellophane to attach to the sleeves?
Or do you throw them away?

Bob Dylan’s Another
Self Portrait ‘features... unreleased recordings from Historic 1969-1971 Era’ –
an era, I recall, when most fans were of the opinion that Dylan was releasing relative
crap. Famously, the doyen of rock journalists Greil Marcus, writing in Rolling Stone, opened his review of Self Portrait with the poser: ‘what is
this piece of shit?’! But hearing the songs now, and those from New Morning in their unreleased,
unadorned versions, is an intimate privilege. Check out for example Pretty
Saro, or Copper Kettle. There is also a pricey deluxe edition with the full Isle
of Wight/Band performance. I have it ‘saved for later’.

'bummer'

Stephen Still is one of my absolute favourite singers and Carry On (a 4-CD set) contains ‘essential
recordings’ (it says here). I would have to agree that many of the 82 tracks
are just that, including key songs with Buffalo Springfield. Also convenient,
and a high point is the back-to-back quadruple whammy on disc 2 consisting of It
Doesn’t Matter – Colorado – Johnny’s Garden – Change Partners. Having recently read
the Graham Nash autobiography, Stills remains an enigma and is the only member
of CSNY who, as far as I know, is yet to be the subject of a book, although an
autobiography is apparently on the way.

Moondance is ‘Van
Morrison’s masterpiece’ (cries the sticker on the new ‘2-CD expanded edition’). Where
that leaves Astral Weeks or St Dominic’s Preview I’m not sure, but
yes, it’s up there, although Moondance
has never sounded, to these ears, as
good as it might. I thought my original vinyl copy was a dodgy pressing until I
heard the first CD reissue about 15 years later, but the clarity of this newly mastered edition makes me realise that it’s
only the opening track And It Stoned Me that (still) sounds a bit crunchy. I wonder if
there are any audiophiles who can offer a more technical analysis. It seems to
be the vocal – is it slightly over-recorded or distorted? Otherwise, of course,
one of the best records ever made.

Neil Young has recently been in the news for berating his
Carnegie Hall audience for ‘clapping along’ to, of all songs, Ohio. ‘Wrong!’ he
snapped. I’m with Neil on that, especially if said clapping was in full horror Strictly Come Dancing style, i.e. on the one and the three, but I’ll save that rant for another day. Live At The Cellar Door (a ‘historic live performance’) from Washington
DC’s tiny Cellar Door in 1970, also features some clapping, but here it’s the
clap of recognition during the opening bars of - ‘off my new album’ - Only Love Can
Break Your Heart. But strangely, no such self-congratulatory behaviour greets
Expecting To Fly.